Surah al-An`am (The Cattle) 6 : 102

Explanatory Note

The same truth of creation is re-emphasized in order to assert another aspect. It tells that the One who is worshipped and obeyed and to whom submission is made is the creator of all things. Hence, there is no deity save Him, the only Lord in the universe.

The fact that God, the Almighty, is the only Creator makes Him the only sovereign of the universe, and that, consequently, makes Him the only one who takes full care of His creation. As He is the Creator of all, He also provides sustenance to all using resources in which He has no partners. Whatever all creatures eat and whatever they enjoy in this life is part of what is the sole property of God. When it has been confirmed that God has all these qualities of creation, sovereignty and provision of sustenance, another fact is also established; that is, His Lordship of the universe. No one else shares with Him these qualities: He controls everything, His is the authority to which everything submits, and He operates the system by which He takes care of His servants. So He is the One to be worshipped in the full sense of the word, which denotes obedience and full submission.

In their days of ignorance, the Arabs did not deny that God was the Creator of the universe and human beings. Nor did they deny that He was the One who provided sustenance to all of them, or that there was no place or dominion other than His from where to obtain provisions and sustenance. Other deviant communities did not deny these facts either, apart from a few Greek philosophers who advocated materialism. The materialist creeds of today have spread much wider than those advanced by Greek philosophers. This meant that in Arabia Islam faced the sort of deviation which allowed worship to be offered to different deities, who were claimed to be God’s partners, in the hope that they would intercede with God on behalf of those who worshipped them. It also faced the other form of deviation by which people received their legislation and traditions from other sources. In other words, Islam did not face in Arabia the sort of atheism which some people profess today. Such people deny the very existence of God, making boastful claims that have no basis in knowledge, and no guidance or revelation on which they are founded.

The fact that God is the Creator of all and that He is the only deity in the universe is the basic rule given in the Qur’an for the need to worship and submit to God alone. It explains the fact that He is the Lord who controls everything and directs the whole universe. He not only controls human beings; rather, He controls everything, since He has created all things. This is the reason for stating this fact which the unbelievers do not deny. They simply do not recognize what it entails: submission to God, obedience of His laws and acknowledgement of His absolute authority.